What Are the Best and Worst Jobs in 2012?

Economists say we are on the road to recovery from the recession and certain indicators of financial health are on the rise, like fewer unemployment claims and wage growth. New jobs are also on the rise, but the climb is slow and, according to a new report, not all job opportunities are good ones.

There has been job growth in the US for 18 months in a row now, but does that mean people are really on the road to a better financial situation? The folks at CareerCast say not necessarily. Some of these new jobs have prospects for job seekers, while others are just temporary relief from a grim situation and are not desirable at all.

With this double-sided job growth in mind, CareerCast released its lists of the best and worst jobs for 2012. Tony Lee, who published CareerCast’s 2012 Jobs Rated Report says, “The top-rated jobs have few physical demands, minimal stress, a good working environment and a strong hiring outlook.” This year, these jobs include, software engineer, actuary, human resources manager, dental hygienist and financial planner. People securing any of these jobs could earn anywhere from $68,000 to $104,000.

The worst jobs in 2012 involve taking work in “physically demanding, precarious, low-paying professions with a weak hiring outlook,” said Lee. These are jobs like, lumberjack, dairy farmer, enlisted military personnel, oil rig worker and newspaper reporter. Most of these jobs have no growth in salary from last year, and military personnel was added to the list this year for obvious reasons.